What does Commvault do differently than Windows Backup to protect Exchange Databases

Question

Hi all,

An Exchange Administrator has read in Microsoft Windows Server backup documentation (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/high-availability/disaster-recovery/restore-with-windows-server-backup?view=exchserver-2019) that restoring a single database in-place to a volume which hosts multiple databases is not possible. Instead, all databases on the volume will be restored.

Now I have told him that with Commvault, it actually is possible to recover a single database in-place to a volume which hosts multiple databases and only the selected database is recovered.

Was I correct in saying that? I’m pretty convinced I am. :-)
If possible, I would like to be able to tell the customer what we do differently to make this possible. Do we use a different method/API? And which, then? Any information available on this?

Thanks in advance!

Scott Reynolds · Accepted Answer

Hi @Patrick DijkgraafI can not comment 100% on the workings of Windows Server backup however I believe that is using VSS to freeze all databases on the VOL and snaps the whole vol. CV is taking an individual snapshot of each database one at a time. This allows for greater flexibility of restoring an individual DB in-place, out-of-place all to an Exchange location or even to a non Exchange location. Along with message level recovery.https://documentation.commvault.com/2022e/expert/11731_block_level_backups.html

Orazan · Answer

Good morning. Yes you can recover a single database in-place. We call on native Exchange APIs to run the backup. It is the Microsoft Exchange VSS writer that actually performs the backup. It performs the freeze and thaw of the database as well as the integrity check. Exchange APIs are also called on for restores.

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